Good body shop should be able to say if it’s bent, and if it is, they will make sure your insurance gets it covered
im with newman on this. no nut swinging. i hate when customers would be like, yo i dont want used parts on my used vehicle. if nobody said they were used you wouldnt know the differance. id rather have a used bumper cover than a new aftermarket any day of the week. all youre going to do is piss people off and theyll tell you whatever you want to hear to shut you up and youll get what whatever they wanted to do in the first place. that comment about the exhaust really put me over the edge. if your exhaust was fucked before the accident, so shall it be after.
if your frame is bent, id ask for a new one. just like the exhaust. dont let them try to straighten it out, it was new and undamaged before the accident and you dont want to compromise safety and structural integrity by pulling and hammering…
This is why I’d rather total a vehicle out on the other persons expense.
New car > used “used” car.
You do realize when someone totals your 10 year old car you get a check for the value of your 10 year old car right? So you’re still getting a used car, or contributing significant money toward a new one.
This, when some broad totaled my 90 lumina 2 years ago they only wanted to give me 800 bucks for it. While I agree the car wasn’t worth much more than that, it was in perfect running condition, had a bunch of new parts on it from the previous owner and there was no way I was getting a car that ran as good, or was in as good mechanical shape for 800 dollars. I ended up with a 3 year car loan and while it’s nice having a newish car that has been relatively maintenance free, it would be nicer to have that extra $250 a month even if it meant still driving the lumina as a cheap dd.
To everyone.
What it boils down to for me is I want the truck fixed as I would fix it if I had to pay out my own pocket to do so. I would buy the best, cheapest, new after market part and replace it. I’d replace both shocks, I’d replace the leaf springs on one side(as they’re new), I’d have the frame inspected to make sure it’s within tolerances, I’d get a new exhaust rear section, I’d order a new tail pipe, etc, etc.
I’ve done everything on this truck the right way since I’ve owned it . I’ve spent a lot of time and money making sure this truck performs admirably for it’s age and condition. When it comes to my vehicles as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more anal about the care and maintenance of them.
For example about how I handled a small fender bender a while ago: When I had my civic some old guy backed into the front passenger side fender. Instead of making a huge deal about it I never bothered and just ordered a new aftermarket fender myself from rock auto instead of the hassle of having someone else fix it. It was about 100 bucks. I never even bothered calling the guys insurance.
Now back to the point of this thread. I just wanted to know who worked for a collision shop as I’m looking for someone I can trust. I was looking to NYSpeed for any assistance with that, not a moral debate about collision repair. So unless you have something constructive to add, please post elsewhere.
Thank you Bad Hulk for the info I’ll most likely be stopping by tomorrow.
EDIT: Now back to the point of telling me how you feel about collision repair.
Everyone is over analyzing the situation. Which is no surprise for nydebate.com. mike wants a safe vehicle for his wife and son. He never stated he wants oem parts. He wants new parts. Not some ripped out of a junk yard heap. He asked for someone who works at a collision shop to help him out. So why is everyone trying to tell him what to do?
That’s when you neck starts to “hurt”.
But I digress.
It’s your right to have it repaired the way you want, but if you want to repair it beyond the state it was in prior to the crash (and new aftermarket is beyond what it was prior to the crash) you’ll be paying the difference out of pocket.
If it was up to me, insurance companies should pay the person $$$ as well. Say you have a 2004 c5 zo6 and get rear ended. Need the frame straightened and parts replaced. Your not getting a car back like it was prior to the accident. You are now the owner of a 2004 c5 z06 that had a tweaked frame from an accident and recieve no compensation. So why shouldn’t someone want to benefit with a new exhaust if possible. They didn’t do this to their car, someone else did and they have to be inconveinced and not even compensateded at all.
once more, dont get new aftermarket. used OEM is what you want. aftermarket performs and fits like ass.
hey man, that’s just the way the world works. The insurance company isn’t there to compensate you for EVERY single bit of piece of inconvenience an accident would cause. They are there so that you can return your car to a safe, and visibly correct vehicle. Accidents happen, life isn’t fair. They’re already doing you a HUGE favor by protecting your asset.
good thing its not up to you. you wanna drive your fancy z06 with idiots on the road, then you take the chance of getting in an accident. its fucking simple. fuck ameircas “its not my fault gimme gimme gimme” attitude. stupid fucks.
Some states allow for a “diminished value” claim on insurance. NYS does not. Their stance is that by driving on public roads you’re accepting the risk of potential damage.
First off, a z06 is not fancy. lol
second, maybe you wouldn’t care if your shit box got frame damage, but I’ve had a car in an accident and by no means was it returned in pre accident state. Cars are metal, you can’t always take the wrinkles out.
if its not fancy, its a poor example and your “point” is moot.
your choice.
A diminished value claim makes a lot of sense to me, especially in the era of carfax. Through someone’s negligence your car gets wrecked it and lowers it’s value when you go to sell it. Even if insurance pays to repair the car that doesn’t cover the money you lose when you go to sell it and every buyer goes, “oh, I see according to carfax it was in a wreck, so I’m not paying top dollar”. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that in a state run by lobby groups and special interests that the insurance industry has managed to get that blocked.
Fuck it…
Everyone stop sending your insurance company premium payments! This one’s on the house. Free car repair FAVORS for everyone. That made me laugh haha.
In all seriousness though, it’s a business. People pay premiums to have those assets protected (and yes, I understand that the other driver’s insurance would pay in Freek’s case but that is why there are mandatory insurance minimums). I do agree that the it sucks, especially in all the examples mentioned, but I think that sometimes, as long as the car is functioning and looks OK you just need to cut your losses. You cant win against the insurance company (usually, although BadNewsMini had some decent negotiating luck if I recall).
This is almost as worse as the time Bing posted up the thread about the Shootings on Main St in Buffalo…